Should Christians Boycott Anti-Family Businesses?

I stopped drinking Coke, Pepsi, and similar drinks fifty years ago because I was convinced they were poison, but, if that were not the case, I would really not drink Coke after their Super Bowl ad flaunting their support for perversion. I am suggesting that all sane people boycott Coke and other firms that grovel at the feet of homosexual lobbyists. That includes the Girl Scouts that now pander to feminists and lesbians; so I will sit down and NOT drink a Coke and NOT eat Girl Scout cookies. Ahh, yes, we still have some freedoms left (for now) and boycott is one of them.

The word “boycott” came from an 1873 incident in Ireland when retired British army captain Charles Boycott became agent for a large estate in Ireland. It was bad timing because the farmers were being gouged with low wages and high taxes. They had formed the Land League to seek relief from their financial burdens but received no help from the new agent. Boycott refused to lower land rents causing the residents and farmers to refuse to speak to him, provide him laundry service, sell him supplies, or work his fields. Even his mail carrier threatened him. The ploy spread across Ireland and newspapers referred to the tactic by his last name: boycott.   

A boycott is usually considered threatening to a business so can any Christian legitimately participate in such action that results in that kind of pressure? One must first prove to himself whether a boycott amounts to force and if it is to be allowed. Most people realize that if they don’t go to work tomorrow, they will be fired or at least not be paid. That is a mild form of force; however, it is legitimate. It is not wrong for your employer to tell you that you will be fired if you do it again.

In a commercial exchange, the buyer is almost always in control. He decides whether he will purchase the item or service and how much he is willing to pay for it. That is coercion or pressure.

Not only are Christians to prod people to do right, we are to pressure them when they do wrong. The Bible commands us to “shun” some (II Tim. 2:16); and to “turn away” from others (II Tim. 3:5); then “mark them . . . avoid” those who are not doctrinally correct (Rom. 16:17); furthermore, we are to “receive them not into your house neither bid them Godspeed…who do not hold to the doctrine of Christ (II John 10). We are even told to not be involved with and to separate from Christians who walk in disobedience (II Thes. 3:6). At times, we are to “come out from among” compromisers and evil doers (II Cor. 6:17).  That would require all who are members of an unbiblical church or denomination to leave that group. That means leaving family and friends and joining a fellowship that teaches truth. That is coercion and it means STOP’s boycott activities are scriptural.

Furthermore, no lucid individual says it is wrong for a person to be selective in the spending of his own money. If he does not like the business owner, does not like the service, or theexcessive charges, etc., he can choose to spend his money elsewhere. So, why is that perfectly legitimate if done by one person but wrong if multiple people do the same thing?

Christians are commanded to be salt and light in this world. The function of salt is largely negative since it prevents decay while the function of light is positive. Light always, without exception, drives away the darkness. Christians are failing this generation by not beingthe preserving salt and the prevailing light. Consequently, Americans are asking, “Where am I going in this hand basket?” I think we know America’s destination.  

If Christians are silent, where will the pressure to do right come from? Some tell us that boycotts are ineffective and when they fail, it only makes us look foolish. Well, I’d rather be perceived as a fool and a failure rather than a follower of the wrong side of this cultural war. Christians have a responsibility to live their daily lives so that those around them will know they do not support evil causes. We are at war and except for the final outcome, no one is guaranteed to be on the winning side of every battle. One thing for sure, I don’t want to be on the sinning side! Wars must be fought even if they are not won; moreover, there have been some very successful boycotts by pro-family groups.  

It is declared that we cannot know the position of every business firm so it is impossible to be consistent. That is true but it is a senseless argument. If I am uninformed about a firm’s position on homosexuality, abortion, etc., then it must not be a big problem and a boycott is unnecessary; however when we know a firm is pro-homosexual then we must react.

As a Christian, everything I have belongs to God. I am a steward of all I possess and will one day give an account to God of how I used His resources. If the cultural wars are won by the permissive crowd it will change America forever. It will mean the killing of more innocent babies. It will mean general acceptance of immoral behavior that will destroy lives, damage our healthcare system, and deny Christians the right to express their faith in the market place. I refuse to leave such a society to my grandchildren without taking a stand–even if I fail.

We live in a society that refuses to recognize right from wrong, but with the ancillary that we have an obligation to choose the right and oppose the wrong. However, opponents tell us that right and wrong cannot be established but are arbitrary. To those people the Bible is not a guide for human behavior. After all, it condemns the lifestyles of most people; so shallow people think by not believing the Bible, they are free from its condemnation. The message from the media and many weaklings in the clergy is that God is dead, morality is irrelevant, and perversion is in everyone’s future. So, why fight it? I choose to fight.

We who are committed to STOP will do our best to encourage pro-family firms by telling our friends about them and spending our money at their businesses. At the same time we will boycott anti-family (usually pro-homosexual) firms and tell our friends about it. That is the Christian thing to do.

So, no Coke and Girl Scout cookies, and I hope you will do the same. Anyway, that kind of stuff might send you to Heaven quicker than your scheduled departure!